Tag: indonesia

Over the weekend, I hopped on a 2-hour ferry ride from Harbourfront to visit Indonesia’s Tanjung Balai with a bunch of my colleagues. We were told beforehand that there wasn’t much on the island. The exact words were actually “go there, eat and relax only“. It was described as what Singapore was like in the 1970’s – all kampong (village). Frankly speaking, it’s not much different from most parts of the Philippines, Metro Manila’s outskirts included. Be that as may be, I really enjoyed my overnight stay. It helps that our colleague knows the place really well and that he spearheaded the trip, making sure that our wooden school bus takes us to all the yummy eateries.

From the yummiest Bak Kut Teh at Simpang Empat, to the Mieso Ayam and Mie Ayam at Pondok Mie So Roso Eco, to the crabs and mantis prawns at 123 Restaurant Seafood, to the Char Kway Teow and Kopi C at the local coffee shop, and to the delicious wanton mee with handmade noodles and handmade fish balls at Ng Kim Yong Kue Tiau Mie – we were spoiled with meals that cost a fraction of what it normally does in Singapore.

What else did we do? Absolutely nothing. Every meal was followed by nap time – such pigs, I know!!! – and we treated ourselves to a massage per day. Luke and I also “disconnected” for the weekend, meaning we were wifi free. It made me realize how we – or just maybe me – normally use our phones to escape idle situations. You’re thrown in a room full of people you barely even know? Oh, I’ll just go through my Instagram feed so at least I look like I’m doing something and it’s less awkward that we’re not talking to each other. Oh, you have a few minutes before you leave? I’ll just see what’s on Facebook coz my fingers are really itchy and I want to kill time. Not that I’m really dying to know what’s going on with so and so, it’s just a matter of habit that has been ingrained through the years. This disconnecting even forced my boyfriend and I to find other ways of entertaining ourselves while waiting for our order to come. Normally, someone would bring out their phone, go through the various feeds, find something interesting and show it to the other person. This time, it was balancing soft drink cans, haha!

All in all, it was a good weekend where we did exactly what was planned: eat and relax only. 🙂

Bandung food and sights aside, the thing I had really been looking forward to about our trip (aside from spending quality time together with the boyfriend, love love mwah mwah, haha) was our lodging: Padma Hotel Bandung. I mean, come on, it looked so pretty in photos! We had a rocky start with it though. For some strange reason, every time we tried to book it on their website, there was always an error! Imagine how frustrating that was! We’ve used Chrome, Safari, Mac and Windows over the span of several days before finally getting the website to accept our booking. So, yay! The thing is though, as excited as I was to arrive, my first few minutes at the property was not at all pleasant. After a long car ride, I really needed to pee and when I asked the front desk, the lady told me to wait a while so she can check us in first. UMM, WHAT?! You don’t say that to someone who badly needs to go to the loo. I got so cranky but luckily the welcome drink helped me cool down a bit.

Fortunately, everything after that was smooth sailing. Shout out to Deasy Sagita, the former Guest Service Manager (she’s now stationed in Padma Hotel Ubud – more reasons to go back to Bali!), for always greeting us with a warm welcome and for taking care of us through our stay. Another shout out goes to my favorite person in Padma Hotel: the roast beef carver. Hehe!

Starting off with this gorgeous fireplace just behind the lobby which is covered floor to ceiling with stones. Baguio vibes, anyone? Hehe

We went for the Hilltop Studio, which was slightly bigger than the normal room but also not quite a suite.

A sweet (pun intended) welcome to our room.

In fairness. Plus points for creativity, Hehe

Daybreak with this gorgeous view..

…and a yummy breakfast.

Walking around while waiting for our van to take us around Bandung. They have morning yoga in this deck, just in case you’re interested. 😉

The hotel’s facade

And bird’s eye view of the pool area.

In the afternoon, they also serve tea time snacks for the hotel guests. A welcome treat upon arriving back in the hotel after a tour packed morning. 🙂

But trust me, you wouldn’t want coffee or tea with this around.

This is the bajigur – a sweet hot drink made of coconut sugar, coconut milk, and some bits of, you guessed it, coconut.

Lush greens greeting us from our studio. Such a relaxing view!

They had a Western themed night during our stay, and although this photo doesn’t look much Western – it was Chinese New Year, hehe – the food was good! Actually, all their buffet spreads were vast and generous so come to think of it, this wasn’t much of a surprise.

The roast beef carving station where I found myself queuing more times than I would admit. We tried counting how many slabs of beef they used that night but we lost count at 6.

And in case you’re too comfy in bed and rather not go out, there’s always room service. 😉

I love food. If you’ve scrolled through my Instagram, you may have even seen my new hashtag: #heyrockEATgirl. So witty, noh? Hahaha Seriously though, food is always one of the things I look forward to when traveling (or even in life in general, ssh!). Aside from authentic local dishes, a culture’s take on other cuisines is also worth a bite.

As such, for this post, I’ll be sharing with you the food and eateries we’ve tried during our trip to Bandung aka: 5 more reasons to go. Hope you enjoy!

1. Miss Bee Providore

For our first dinner in the city, we went to this cafe near our hotel. It has a chic, quirky, cozy vibe similar to that of Cafe Mary Grace. Being the creatures of habit that we are, we went for the steak and the burger. We were seated by the cake case so I was scouting our dessert the whole time.

2. Sushi Groove

Didn’t I tell you we were creatures of habit? Hehe! Of course we had to have japanese food. We tried out this modern looking eatery in the perimeter of Paris Van Java where I had the yummiest chicken cutlet ever. The sushi was also not bad. 🙂

3. Floating Market

To satisfy your craving for local munchies, the Floating Market may be the place for you. Not only does it serve snacks like potato twists, buns, and satay (!!!), they do so in a real charming park too. And as the name suggests (and the photos in case it’s not clear enough, hehe), the stalls are all in boats docked by the market.

4. Pizza é Birra

Jl. Sukajadi No. 137-139, Jawa Barat, Indonesia

Pizza é Birra is probably one of the prettiest restaurants I’ve been to. Just look at the interiors! Loove the industrial space and the pop art! :The chili con carne fries was a bit of a let down, refer to the photo above. But maybe next time, we should really go for pizza and beer instead of pasta and wings. 😉

5. Banana-leaf rice meal

*Ask your driver to bring you to one 😉

A trip to Indonesia won’t be complete without eating rice wrapped in banana leaf. Surprisingly, this was a bit of a tough to find. Luckily though, after a failed attempt at outlet shopping, we asked our driver to take us to eat instead. He brought us to this little shack next to an outlet where we had rice (!) and barbecued chicken wings. Yum! Although I wish there was more chicken coz the rice was sooo good.

So, that’s it. 5 more reasons why you should go visit Bandung. 😉

See anything you like? Have you tried these places before? Did I miss any good eats in Bandung? Let me know below!

This year, I’ve visited my 4th Indonesian city – Bandung. It’s the capital of West Java, and quite frankly, it has a different feel than that of Batam, Yogyakarta, and Bali. For one thing, the climate is much cooler. Our taxi driver told us that on long weekends, Bandung gets really jammed coz everyone from Jakarta climbs up the mountain – pretty much like the Baguio to Manila, and Genting to Kuala Lumpur.

It’s only an hour and a half away from Singapore, making it perfect for a weekend break. Best of all, for some strange reason, the flights are always cheap.. Even on the very hot Chinese New Year weekend. The one which we went on. Sorry guys, now you know how late this post is. Hehe! That was partly the reason why we chose Bandung. The prices of all other destinations have sky-rocketed, even on budget airlines, but Bandung was still reasonably priced even if we booked it just 3 weeks before the holiday. Plus, we read that it was dubbed as “Paris of the East”, so it had to be something, right?

Well, it was not exactly Paris, but should you be itching to leave Singapore, why not check out West Java? I’ve listed down 5 things you can do in Bandung below. Food won’t be involved in this one, because that deserves a separate post, I mean obviously. Haha 🙂

1. Visit a live volcano, high up Bandung: Tangkuban Perahu

Not only do you get access to a live volcano, you get to see unblocked views of West Java. It’s gorgeous! And if you want to freeze your face off, this is THE spot, as your head is literally in the clouds.

2. See the breath taking Kawah Putih

Kawah Putih literally means White Crater. Tourists flock here to see the magnificent lake which is quite likely the prettiest shade of turquoise. It’s so scenic that it almost looks fake! It being a crater and all, be prepared to smell sulfur (or for something you can relate to: rotten eggs). It will literally take your breath away, haha

3. Check out local produce: Strawberries and Tea

We didn’t go for any Tea Plantation tour or anything, we just stopped by the side of the road and took in the vast greens. Hey, it’s good background for photos! Hehe! There are also a number of Strawberry farms you can visit in the area. We ended up in a really small Strawberry garden, not as cute as I’d hope it to be, but hey, strawberries, yum. 😉

4. Warm up in the hot springs

Okay, this is one thing I really wish we’d research on before going. Not all hot springs are created equal! I mean, yes it was nice to dip my feet in it, but I wish we did it somewhere else. Sorry, I forgot the name for this resort. But if you’re going to Bandung and you are thinking of checking out the hot springs, research!

5. Shopping!

Lots of Singaporeans swear by the outlets in Bandung. Let’s be honest, there’s a lot. However, I personally felt that it was still expensive and I’d rather hit Paris Van Java, their mall, because it was sale season and for the amount of money spent in the outlet, I’d rather spend it in actual shops (there’s Zara, Topshop, H&M, Miss Selfridge, etc). I wasn’t able to check out the shops along Jeans Street, the ones with the cartoon characters, but maybe if I did, I wouldn’t be all PARIS VAN JAVA!!!

Bonus: Go to Church and pray to my favorite Saint

At the time we went, St. Peter’s Cathedral was the Bandung’s Number 1 rated attraction on TripAdvisor. I figured it would be nice to check it out. So we did, and we got stuck in really bad traffic in the process. It was all worth it when I saw Saint Ignatius though. I mean, what were the odds that I’d see a statue of my favorite saint, which is not that common outside Ateneo, in a place where most of the population isn’t even Catholic?

So there you have it, things to do in Bandung. What are your thoughts? Interested? Not interested? Would you ever consider going? Or have you been before? Let me know below!

PS- Watch out for my next post I’ll let you in on where to eat and where to stay. 😉

Ah, my last day in Bali. Since I was flying back to Singapore (and I needed to top up my miles), I opted for the night flight out while my friends took the next morning flight back to Manila. To maximize this day, we reserved this for our cooking class. 🙂

Irish found Paon Bali online and good thing she did, it was so worth it! We went for the morning class with the market tour. Since Paon Bali is in Ubud and we were staying in Kuta, we availed of the pick-up service that was available for free in Ubud at an additional cost island wide. First stop was the Ubud Market where we saw the local produce (and found that Kopi Luwak was cheaper here, haha). We then went on to a rice field where our guide explained the process behind these paddies. Afterwards, we went to the Paon Bali studio which also happened to be Puspa’s home. Upon arrival, we were given welcome drinks and a quick introduction to the Balinese compound and each structure’s purpose. There’s a house that’s constructed purely for weddings too! After that, we were shown the fresh bounty that would be the ingredients for the traditional dishes we would be cooking and eating. The class was quite big so it wasn’t as personal nor intimate as I would’ve preferred but it was hands-on and the food was good. It was also nice to chitchat with the other tourists while we enjoyed our meal and the scenery.

Part of the reason we chose our hotel, The Royal 18, was because of the pool. On the last few hours of our last day, we had to take a dip even if it was a real quick one just to say that we’ve utilized it. Here’s me with the best girls as we talked about life and soaked up the Bali sun in an attempt to have that beach baked glow – which sadly, we didn’t get hahaha 🙂 Here’s to 10 years of friendship. ♥

So that’s our Bali trip. 🙂 I’d write an itinerary/summary post for those who’d want a quick reference of what to do in Bali, coz believe me, I didn’t put “The Best 4 Days” there to exaggerate, I really mean it. I enjoyed every second of our trip to Bali even if we didn’t really lounge at the beach. I owe this all to my girlfriends for being so game and researching the place, joint effort for the win! 🙂

After 2 days of jam-packed itineraries, you’d think we’d simmer down but Day 3 of The Best 4 Days in Baliwas as full and as fun as the others. Putra couldn’t make it for our second day of tour due to temple commitments but he had a friend drive us around using the same Toyota Avanza. His friend wasn’t as well in English but he was just as nice as Putra.

Our first stop that day was The Bali Elephant Camp. Marla and I went on an elephant trek of which Irish passed on as she’d already had the ultimate elephant experience in Chiang Mai. She said the elephant parks in Chiang Mai didn’t just let you ride these gorgeous creatures, they let you bond with it first by bathing it, feeding it, scraping its poop – just like any ordinary pet! It’s something I’d want to try too as this elephant trek feels a tad commercialised in comparison but I believe that commercialised or not, it’s best to support businesses that actually care for these animals and not just abuse them. I was pleasantly surprised that the our guide and the other employees were quite knowledgeable about elephants and its proper care. Mar and I drilled our guide, who’s been Mary (our elephant)’s handler since Day 1, on how they ensure the elephants’ well-being. We were pleased to know that the elephants have “off days” and they had a farm adjacent to the camp that’s meant for growing their food to ensure they are well fed and properly nourished. It was a pretty quick ride followed by lunch that’s included with the package.

We really wanted to try the Babi Guling that even if we just had lunch, we had to stop and buy coz it was on the way to Tanah Lot. We had 1 order minus rice to go just so we can taste it and munch during our car ride. It’s somewhat like our lechon only it was dressed in more herbs and spices.

We finally arrived in Tanah Lot where we did more souvenir shopping than temple-seeing. Trivia time! They say that unmarried couples who go to Bali will suffer from the Bali Curse and break up soon after. A variation that’s more loose and allows couples to visit this paradise say that the curse is limited to Tanah Lot alone. Please share your own personal experience below as I’m very curious!!

We were supposed to check out Uluwatu Temple but our underwhelming experience at Tanah Lot made us reroute and change our plans. We ended up going for… yoga! Upon a quick Google search, we chanced upon Desa Seni, an ecovillage resort that offers daily yoga classes. To be honest, I was quite hesitant as I was mentally, physically, and outfit-wise unprepared. But I’m glad we went through with it! We still have laughs up to now because of that experience, hehe 🙂 Plus there were some quotable quotes too by our yoga instructor!

Come dinner time, we made our way to Naughty Nuri’s. We felt quite guilty as we made our way to the famous barbeque place after just sweating our butts of in yoga, but it quickly dissipated as soon as we smelled the yummy ribs. It was packed and we had to wait for a table but it was worth it! We had nachos and ribs and ended the night with a bottle of white at our hotel room.

So that wraps up our third day in Bali. It was spent immersed in the local fare that people visit the island for – food, elephants, temples, and yoga (aka: stereotypical touristy stuff, haha). To be honest, this has been one of my most active and memorable trips. We did so much! And there’s still Day 4. 🙂

Oh, and just in case you’re wondering about our Bali transportation, you may reach our driver, Putra at dek_uci@yahoo.com or +6281 338 204026 (Whatsapp).

Here’s Day 2 of The Best 4 Days in Bali. I was thinking hard about what word would perfectly describe this day because other than “best” there’s just no word that fits exactly.. Play? But that’s only the first part of the day. Chill? That’s for the second part. It wasn’t until I was typing this draft and saw the below picture that it hit me – BALANCE.

The first part of the day was action-packed. Our driver, Putra, picked us up from the hotel and drove about an hour and a half until we reached the starting point of Gangga Water Rafting. We spent the entire morning navigating the Ayung River and it was SO. MUCH. FUN!!!! I highly recommend it! Even if you’ve had no experience whatsoever, you’re definitely gonna enjoy and it’s not difficult too… Although I’ve apparently just been hitting the water to our guide’s face and not doing it properly, hahaha My advise is… keep your GoPro on the whole time. I fell of the raft on the last rapid and when I got back up, my first comment was I wish I captured the whole thing. Hahaha! But I’m serious, falling off the raft and tumbling underwater was such an experience. It’s like everything was in slowmo. But please don’t let this turn you off, white water rafting is fairly safe and I repeat, SO. MUCH. FUN!!!! Bit of warning though, the hike back after rafting is draining. It’s like a never-ending uphill climb because at this point, the sun is scorching and you’re already tired from the sport. Not to fear though, there’s lunch prepared upon arrival at the base. If you can, take this company and get our guide, Gud. He speaks English and is very knowledgeable in his trade.

Next stop, our driver Putra took us to the Monkey Forest. Here, I realized my fear of apes. I was afraid of them!!! I was only able to take photos with cement monkeys and my pictures with real monkeys look so tense! I was scared they’ll take my stuff or bite me or climb on top of me. Gladly, none of those things happened to me as I’ve kept my distance. But not the same can be said about my friend, Mar. Some stranger dangled food next to her and the monkey went up her head! Ass, noh?! At least it was a good photo opportunity. The photos below are from Ish’s camera, she was the only one brave enough to take it out. 🙂

Next stop was Tegalalang or the rice terraces. It was already quite late so we couldn’t go inside anymore but us being us (aka: the girls who were content with just seeing the merlion from afar) we were happy seeing its entirety from the top.

Putra then drove us to Agro for coffee. It’s a farm that offers a killer a view of the Tegalalang and at the same time, serves a variety of yummy coffee and tea. Upon arrival, they give you a sampler for free but they charge additional for the famous Kopi Luwak. It was the more chillax Balinese activity on our agenda. We spent maybe an hour just lazing and admiring the view and enjoying our drinks. We bought Kopi Luwak there but later found out that it’s so much cheaper if you buy it from the market (duh). No regrets though, the “free” experience that came with it was worth it.

After that, we asked Putra to take us to a massage place. He brought us to a multi-story spa which was the total opposite of the very stressful monkey forest. My friends and I enjoyed the Balinese massage.

After the spa, we went to Ayam Tulang Lunak Malioboro – a local Indonesian food place that was highly recommended by our driver, Putra. They specialise in pressure cooked chicken that makes the bone so soft that you can actually eat it. We had salted egg chicken and another one I can’t remember which sauce. The salted egg was good!

I’ve been putting off writing this travel entry because I’m afraid I won’t do our barkada Bali trip much justice. Was really hesitant to travel to Bali at first because of all the horror stories I’ve heard – getting harassed in the airport, being framed for drugs, getting served fake alcohol, etc, but let me just say – I loved Bali! I’ve had the best 4 days in Bali.♥︎ It was Mar, Ish and I’s first time there and I think that fact made it extra special for us three. I had such a wonderful vacation with these two girls and had tons of fun exploring the island and embarking on cool activities (I’m serious!) together. The last time we travelled abroad was with Cielo when we flew to Singapore back in 2012. So yes, this trip was long over due and I’m really looking forward to the next one!

Let me do my best to share our Bali experience with you (best trip everrrrr!!!) and maybe you can find itinerary suggestions for a 4 day trip to Bali. 🙂

Day 1:

After checking in and settling in (unpacking, napping, etc haha) our hotel, we decided to walk to Kuta Beach. We considered surfing but thought otherwise when we saw the waves. Below is the only picture I have of Kuta, and it’s from my friend Ish. 🙂

We then flagged a cab to Seminyak wherein we checked out the famous Potato Head Beach Club.

This quirky signboard greeted us upon arriving. Good to know 😉

It reminded me of Singapore’s very own Tanjong Beach Club, but guys, we went on a Thursday afternoon. I doubt TBC is as packed on weekdays.

Unlike TBC though, Potato Head has a legit stretch of beach with no ships and vessels within sight.

But for Indonesia standards, Potato Head is quite pricey. Think upper-middle range Singapore prices, but hey, you’re on holiday, so why not?!

We ordered this sampler called Welcome to PH. It was served with veggie crudités, gazpacho, pork rillettes, garlic bread, fish and chips, and wagyu sliders. YUM!

We considered staying longer to catch the sunset but on our way to Potato Head, we passed by a lot of eye-catching (and tummy exciting) restos so we figured we’d turn Day 1 into our Seminyak Day. Yay!

See you again soon, Potato Head!

Potato Head Beach Club is located at Jln. Petitenget, Seminyak, Bali 80361 Indonesia

We then took a cab to our next stop:

Café Bali which is located at Jalan Oberoi Laksmana, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

From a hip and trendy beach club, we were charmed by Café Bali’s quaint and cozy interiors.

It’s so shabby chic, no?

They even had bowls of tropical flora for decor and aroma.

Mar and Ish both ordered pad thai

I had a hard time deciding coz I wasn’t really that hungry but good thing I zoned in to this pesto or else I would’ve missed out on probably the best pesto dish I’ve had in my whole life.

How to not love a place with such gorgeous interiors?! Cozy, industrial, vintage, and warm – you don’t get that combo much.

We opted to stay upstairs so we can fully take in the interiors of the place.

We were still stuffed from the first 2 stops so we didn’t get to try their mains. Another reason to come back 😉 Did try the Lemon Meringue Tart though which was quite good.

And we had some good convo with our reasonably priced bottle of white. Cheers to Bali!

This beautiful restaurant is tucked within this floor-ceiling windowed warehouse. I will definitely be back!!!

We were a bit tired (our flight left Manila at 4am) but the wine we had pushed us to go to one more stop: Sky Garden.

Not much photos but you can google it and see its interiors. We stayed for a bit to check out the nightlife but left soon thereafter. Oh here’s a tip, watch out for people giving out flyers outside the door. If you present it upon entering, you can get in for free with free drinks to boot. Not bad at all! 😉

Sky Garden at Jalan Legian no 61, Kuta, Bali 80361, Indonesia

From there, we walked back to our hotel in Kuta. It was fairly safe as the roads were well lit and we made sure we were going through the main roads. Not far from Sky Garden though were people in the sidewalk muttering “mushrooms, mushrooms” but we just ignored them and carried on. That was our only semi-run in on my Bali fears. Thank God!

Quick recap, I spent the weekend in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Half the time we were busy being bums, the other we were doing our temple run.

Jogja, as it’s called by the locals, is known for its 2 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the Borobodur and the Prambanan. Considering it was low-peak season, the Borobodur was packed when we got there. Taking unobstructed photos of the Buddhas and the stupas (the bells) was a feat I generally failed in. The upside of having the crowd is that we were treated to a very unique faux-celebrity experience – signing our names and strangers wanting to take our photos. Hehe! It started to drizzle so that was our cue to go back to the van and head to the Hindu temple Prambanan. It wasn’t as crowded as Borobudur but maybe it’s because the complex was so much bigger than Borobudur and the weather was acting up. It has a very interesting legend too! The temples of Prambanan is said to have been built because a princess, in order to reject a marriage proposal, told the prince to build 1000 temples before sunrise so she’ll marry him. The prince, with the help of his evil spirit friends, almost succeeded but the princess tricked them to return to the underworld by starting a huge fire to imitate sunlight. The prince got pissed and turned her into the 1000th temple. Romantic, eh?

For this day, I wore my comfiest shoes ever – the Nike Air Pegasus – coz I knew there was gonna be a trek and my colleague advised not to wear open footwear coz in his words- we don’t want any 1000 year old rock sediment to scratch our feet, would we? I’ve had this pair for almost 2 years now, and everytime i wear it (not as much as i should) I always get delighted at just how comfy it is. Like I’m walking/jogging/running in clouds. Also wore my Beatles tank as a metaphoric note-to-self on my quarterlife that there’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be.

First of, thank you to everyone who greeted me last Friday. I am really grateful to be surrounded by so much love and positive vibes from such amazing people not just on January 17, but for all 25 years of my life thus far. ♥︎

For my birthday this year, I was lucky enough to go on a short Indonesian holiday. When people hear Indonesia, people usually think of Bali or Jakarta – I didn’t go to either. I went to Yogyakarta, a city in Java known for its temples. We were there from Friday afternoon to Sunday early evening, leaving roughly only 2 days to spend. Saturday was for the temple run which I’ll be blogging about next, but for now, let me share with you the other half of the vacay- rest and relaxation.

We stayed in Grand Aston, a 5-star hotel we got at a really reasonable price through Agoda. The moment you step in, you’ll be greeted by the yummy spa scent that fills the lobby reminding you that you are definitely on a holiday. It was raining now and then when we were there, but honestly, there was no better place to be cooped up than in our room. Room service, comfy bed, active volcano Mt. Merapi as the view, spa downstairs – what more could I ask for? 🙂

@heyrocketgirl

Hi, I’m Reg!

A twentysomething optimistic idealist passionate about LIFE and everything that it has to offer. An avid traveler, a major foodie, a voracious bookworm, and a (sometimes too) introspective ENFP, heyrocketgirl is a collection of moments and musings as I try to live out my best possible life. More?